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SAMPLE UNIT PLAN
FOR IDEAS AND CONTENT
Below is a sample unit
plan for Ideas and Content. The days are approximate and for
sample purposes only; you may move through the items quicker or
slower than listed. It also depends on how long your classes are.
I am basing the sample on a 45 minute class period. The sample
also does not mix in Writing Conventions lessons. Some items
below refer to pages at this site. I have included links for your
convenience.
If any part of this unit
plan does not make sense, please let me know! I want it to be
teacher friendly.
 PREPARATION FOR ALL
UNITS:
PREPARATION FOR IDEAS
AND CONTENT UNIT:
DAY 1:
DAY 2:
 | Review the
descriptors for Ideas and Content.
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| Share and discuss
the cartoons that illustrate Ideas and Content.
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| Share and discuss
the quotes that illustrate Ideas and Content.
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| Share a picture
book or two that illustrates Ideas and Content. Use the
rubric and descriptors to discuss why the book is a good
example of Ideas and Content.
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DAY 3:
| Review the
definition for Ideas and Content.
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| Do the
Transparencies of Pictures and Paintings activity. Do not
forget to discuss it.
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DAY 4:
| Begin the Ideas
and Content in Songs activity.
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DAY 5:
| Complete the Ideas
and Content in Songs activity and discuss it.
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DAY 6:
| Review the
descriptors for Ideas and Content. Try a different
approach than on Day 2.
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| Do the Story
Skeleton activity and discuss it.
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| Do the Building
with Words activity and discuss it.
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DAY 7:
| Review the rubric
for Ideas and Content.
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| Share a sample
paper with the students. The students are to use the
highlighted version of the Ideas and Content Rubric in
their handbooks to score the paper. Have them use Six
Trait Rubric Manipulatives to share their scores.
Although scores of 2 and 4 are possible, I recommend
starting with basic scores of 1, 3, and 5. This will make
it easier for the students and you. The students need to
be prepared to defend their opinions. Another method of
sharing scores is to divide the room into three areas one
for a score of 5, one for a score of 3, and one for a
score of 1. When ALL students have had time to score the
paper, have them move to the appropriate area. Have the
students move at the same time or they will wait to watch
where others are going. Be sure to discuss their
reasoning for giving the paper a particular score. Score
as many papers as time allows.
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DAY 8:
| Do one or more of
the other activities found at Ideas and Content Lesson Ideas, or do some of your own. Save one of
the major activities as the basis for the final writing
assignment.
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DAY 9:
| Discuss the "I Have A Topic, Now What" sheet from the student handbook.
(Make copies if you decide to use it as part of the
handbook. It can also be made into a poster for the
classroom.
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| Pass out the
directions and timeline for the writing assignment you
developed.
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| Brainstorming 1:
Do your favorite brainstorming activity to help the
students develop topics. Then have them choose a topic.
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| Brainstorming 2:
Have the students brainstorm ideas about their chosen
topics.
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| Go around the room
and record who has completed the brainstorming
activities. Answer any questions and encourage those who
are having trouble finding a topic.
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| Provide a
graphic organizer for the students' use in organizing the
ideas for their papers. Choose or create a graphic
organizer that works well with the writing assignment.
The graphic organizer is due at the beginning of class on
Day 10.
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DAY 10:
| Have the students
begin their rough drafts. Based on their graphic
organizers. The rough draft is due before the end of
class on Day 11. (Make adjustments if necessary.)
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| Go around the room
and record who has completed the graphic organizer. Start
in a different part of the room than you did yesterday.
Answer questions and encourage those who are getting
behind. Ask (or require) them to come in before school,
during recess, or after school for extra help.
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| When you have
recorded grades for the graphic organizer, review the
descriptors for Ideas and Content again. Then give everyone a
peer response sheet for Ideas and Content. Explain to
them how you want it improvement on completed. Have them
write specific suggestions for the back of the form. The
writer's name should be at the top of the form and the
peer reviser's signature should be at the bottom.
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| Give the students
the remaining time to work on their rough drafts.
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DAY 11:
| Have the students
find someone to trade papers with for peer revising. Any
student who is not finished with his rough draft may not
peer revise anyone else's paper. Students may peer revise
more than one paper. Your stronger writers will finish
their rough drafts first and usually make the best peer
revisers. The peer revising sheet is due at the end of
the class period.
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| Go around the room
and record who has completed the rough draft. Start
in a different part of the room than you did yesterday.
Answer questions and encourage those who are getting
behind. Ask (or require) them to come in before school,
during recess, or after school for extra help. Grade all
first drafts before you grade peer editing sheets.
Otherwise you may get behind.
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| When a student
finishes with the peer revision step and has you record
the grade, she may go on to the second draft. Ask those
who finish early to make themselves available to peer
revise more papers. (You can offer extra credit for peer
revising more than one first draft.)
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| When you are
finished recording grades for the rough draft, record
grades for peer editing sheets. If you do not have time
to record all of the grades, do that as one of the first
activities on Day 12.
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DAY 12:
| Have the students
begin working on the second draft, which is due before
the end of class on Day 13. (Make adjustments if
necessary.
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| Finish recording
grades for the peer revision sheets. Students may not
begin the second draft until the peer revision grade is
recorded. (Some students may try to bypass this step.)
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| Take this time to
conference with students who are behind. Again, ask or
require them to get extra help.
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DAY 13:
| Have the students
trade papers for another peer editing session, this time
with a different person. When a student finishes with the
second peer revision step and has you record the grade,
he may go on to the final draft. Ask those who finish
early to make themselves available to peer revise more
papers. (You can offer extra credit for peer revising
more than one second draft.) Any student who is not
finished with his second draft may not peer revise anyone
else's paper. Students may peer revise more than one
paper. The final draft is due at the beginning of class
on Day 15. (Make adjustments if necessary.)
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| Go around the room
and record who has completed the second draft. Start
in a different part of the room than you did yesterday.
Answer questions and encourage those who are behind. Ask
(or require) them to come in before school, during
recess, or after school for extra help.
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| When you are
finished recording grades for the second draft, record
grades for the second peer editing sheets. If you do not
have time to record all of the grades, do that as one of
the first activities on Day 14.
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DAY 14:
| Have the students
work on the second draft, which is due at the beginning
of class on Day 15. (Make adjustments if necessary.)
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| Finish recording
grades for the second peer revision sheets. Students may
not begin the second draft until the peer revision grade
is recorded. (Some students may try to bypass this step,
even more so than the first peer revision step.)
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| Take this time to
conference with students who are behind. Again, ask or
require them to get extra help.
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DAY 15:
| Collect and record
the final drafts. Save the in depth grading for later.
All you are doing at this point is recording a few daily
points for actually doing the work.
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| If you have
students who are behind, you can allow them to work on
their papers while the students who are finished do
something as a reward.
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